Thread-cutter and spool-holder.



J. M. MAJORS.

THREAD CUTTER AND SPOOL HOLDER.

APPLICAJHON FILED JAN. 24. I918-v Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

Inycnm r filmy 76 ATTXS' THREAD-CUTTER, AND SPOOL-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

Application filed January 24, 1918. Serial N 0.213, 154.

To all whom it may concern :1 I

Be it known that I, JAMES M. MAJORS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Ottumwa, in the county of Wapello and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Thread-Cutter and Spool-Holder, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a thread cutter and spool holder of simple, durable and inexpensive construction.

A further object of my invention is to provide a stand having spool holding devices secured thereto, a combination thread guiding and gripping member and a cutting blade. f

A further object of my invention is to provide such a base having a thread holder and blade thereon with a device adapted to hold and guide the thread-therethrough so that the thread may be freely pulled from the spool until the latter is drawn in the direction toward the cutting blade where it will be retarded to furnish suflicient tension to cut the thread as it is pulled across the cutting blade. f

A further object of my'invention is to provide a thread guide and tension provided with means for'acconnnodating two or more threads, so that several spools may -be mounted upon the base without interfering with each other.

, A further object of my invention is to provide an upright stand having formed thereon a pair of intersecting thread guides arranged with their bottoms in horizontal alinement at the intersection of the guides, so that a singlethread may be arranged to be simultaneously pulled through the intersecting guides at the same time whereby if the thread, which isbeing pulled on is pulled in such direction that it would force the por-' tion of it in the guide down against the other portion of the thread, which is in the other thread guide, then it will prevent the thread from being pulled through the guides thereby furnishing tension sufiicient to per mit the free end of the thread to be drawn across the cutting blade and severed from I I I cate generally a base having at one end a substantially the same horizontal plane at the point where the cuts intersect, so that a thread may first be drawn through the bottom of one cut and then wrapped around a portion of the post to position where it may be extended through the other cut. 7

It will be seen. thatwhen the thread has been placed in this position, a pull on the free end of the thread willcause the portion thereof at the intersection of the cuts to frictionally engage the portion ofthe thread which is. extended through the other out thereby furnishing a tension which prevents morethread being pulled through the post while the pull is continued in the same direction. a A further object ofrmy invention is to provide a post having the intersecting cuts hereinbefore mentioned and which also has erm ne rArnNr orrron the cut through which the free end of the thread is pulled, made somewhat deeper than is the other out whereby, the thread in the second cut may be somewhat looped by. a downward pull on the thread in the first cut to furnish a more eflicient tension.

With these andother objects. in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which :7 1

Figure 1 shows'a perspective view of my improved spool holder and thread cutter.

Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of a portion of the combined guide and tension device having parts broken away to better illustrate the construction.

Fig. 3 shows a vertical, sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged detail view of a portion of the parts shown in Fig. 3 but. with the thread removed, and

Fig. 5 shows an enlarged detail view partly in section of the tension and thread guiding device shown in Fig. 2 but having the thread removed. Y Y

, Referring to theaccompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indispools 14 and the blade 12 a stand 16 is secured to the base 10, which supports the threadguiding and tension device.

The latter consists of a horizontal-"bar 17, which is supported intermediate of its ends upon the base icand has at its ends upwardly extending posts 18,-? At'thecenter of the bar 17 a pair of spaced, parallel, vertical fingers 19 are formed, An opening 20 may be rounded out at the base of the fingers 19 to furnish a guide through whichthe thread 15 may extend frointhe spools 1 1. At the outer endsof the forward sideofthe bar 17, plates-21 are secured thereto. The inner sides of the-plates 21 extend inwardly from the innenface' of the 'post'18. A 'cut or groove 22 is madeor formed between the post 18 and the plate 21 which has itsbottom about half way between the top "and bottom of the bar 17. A second cut or groove 23 is formed in substantially vertical aline'nient with the inner faceof the post 18 andin'te'rsects the-groove 22. The groove23 may be forined,-so tliatiits 'botton'i 24' is sub stantiallyalined with the bottoin"of the groove 22 except at the forward end 25 where it may be, inclined downwardly somewhat? 7, t v v It has also been found desirable'to make a second groove in the bottom of the groove 23 of'less widththan the groove itself at 26. This latter groove is inclined soinewhat dovjiznwardly from apoint aboutthe center ofthe' botto1n-24 of the groove 23. pair of resilient ffin'ger's"27"are secured to any conven'ient placeas the stand 16' and extend upwardly rand outwardly therefrom across the forward portion of the slot- 23 and for a definite"distancebeyond the outer edges of the -plat'es21 for purpose hereinafter specified In the practical'operation'of n'iy improved connection it may be mentioned that after the thread-hire been drawnthrough the opening 20 and 1S: then carried laterally, it will readily and easily slide up the resilient finger-27 to' proper position to be'dropped downwardly into the slot 22,afterwhich" it is wound aroundthe post l8, dropp ed into the slot in the plate 21','and e'xtended downwardlyand toward the cuttingblade'12 be neath the resilient finger 27 The fingers 27'help prevent the accidental removal of the tlir'ead from theslot in the Referring to Fig: 3 a will be seen that horizontalor' ,slight' upward on the.

"tive to'the horizontal at which the thread is being pulled from the slot 23. y e A V Where a second smaller channel as i is shown at 26 is provided inthe bottom of the slot 23 experiments have shown'fthat a changeof less than half an inch inthe Vertical'di'rection of the pull of theth'r'eadlo fronrthe i slot 23 will make the"diflerence betweei'i'breaking off the thread at the intersection of the slot 22 and 23 or of the thread ruiming'with practically no tension thereon;

It will thus be seen thatthe plate 12 may be so placed that the thread 15 maybe pulled from the slot '23 in practically any' dir'ection fromthe saidj slot without any appreciable tension on the thread except when the thread i is broughtwithin less than half an inch of i the 'upperedge of the cutting blade." he plate 12 is, of course, spaced a sufiicient dis tance from the groove 23, so that the thread left hanging from said groove is long enough to, be readily grasped by the fingers' i The rear faces of the posts ,18'are Q inclined downwardly and forwardly as shownin Fig,

3, so that" if any tendency; exists for the thread to rise along the rear face of the post 18, any pull on the thread, which causes the thread to slide along said face, will also cause the thread to movedownwardly thereon. It will, thus be seen that whenever thread'is being pulled through the slot' 23 the thread at the rear end 'of the slot will be at alltimes guided down'to contact with the bottom of the wall of the inclination of the rear surface of the post 18. This feature insures that when the direction'of'th'e pull 7 on the thread is changed sufficiently to bring it near the plate 12 the thread Will then contact with thefcross thread in the wall: 22 to properly lock the thread from movement,

I claim as my invention: V

1.,In a device of the class described, a base, a spool supporting member thereon a thread supporting deviceon said base hair ing a projecting member "provided \with ina tersect ng guide grooves T for I gu d1 ng and holding a thread.

2. In a'device of the class described, a base,.a spool supporting member thereon, a thread supporting device on said base hay ing a projecting" member provided .with' iiitersefcti'ng guide grooves foriguidingnaild holding athread adjacent to said projectingv member, said pr'oj ecting" neinberbeing ape -e ing toward its portion adjacent to said guide grooves to cause a thread drawn around it the upper edge of the cutting blade, said to slide toward said grooves. cuts having their bottoms substantially in,

3. In a device of the class described, a horizontal alinement and resilient means base, means for supporting a spool thereon, suitably mounted and extending across the a means for slipporting a cutting blade on upper portion of one of said cuts whereby 15 said base in position spaced from said first the thread ma"; be guided into the out described means; a post mounted on said and resiliently held from being pulled out base between said first two described means, thereof. a said post having apair of intersecting outs Des Moines, Iowa, October 8, 1917.

10 formed adjacent to its upper end and above JAMES M. MAJ ORS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

